Life for you, my fellow believer, well, know that what we can look forward to is not like baseball. While a baseball game is not over until there are twenty-seven outs, or in the case of a tie after nine innings, and extra innings are played until one team comes out on top and wins the game, that’s not the case for us. I’ll tell you more in a minute. But first some more facts. There is one exception in history when it comes to long games not having a loser and a winner. That’s not the case for us. However, know that according to Dave Adler writing for Major League Baseball, the longest game in history went 26th innings in May 1920, a game between the Brooklyn Robbins and the Boston Braves. It was called because of darkness and ended in a tie. That’s not the case for us. Back to my original statement, my fellow believer, what we can look forward to it’s not like baseball.
You see, regardless if this “game” called life is stopped earlier than anticipated, or if we are just scoring again to get back on top when Satan has had a temporary, victorious moment, or if darkness descends on a sunny day in this life, we don’t have to settle for a tie and the final score will have us winning, for we are assured of a victory because of what occurred over 2,000 years ago, the time when Christ had victory over enemy, the cross, and the grave. Yes, you have heard it before, but it does not hurt to reiterate the truth: In the end, my brother, my sister, we win. No more extra innings where we have to deal with the sneaky and deceiving pitches thrown by the devil will be required. We win! As a matter of fact, our souls are immediately inducted into the Hall of Faith where the heroes of old and all God’s children celebrate victory in heaven. Life for you and me, well again, it’s not like baseball.
But in the meantime, keep slugging! Keep swinging for the fences! Stand strong in the batter’s box, not intimidated or becoming cowardly because of the tricky pitches of the evil one! Run the bases of life with confidence! Avoid every temptation that tries to tag you out! If you are caught in a run down, look to the Coach above and He will show you the way out! My friend, play smart while on the base path and don’t get tagged by bad influence or blatant sinners in the crowd or beckoning you to quit from the sidelines! Stay in the game until the Great Umpire calls you home! Hang in there when it gets tough! Play through all the innings of life that you are blessed to see! The devil cannot get you; darkness can’t stop you, deception will not trap you! Make the decision to keep playing with the same enthusiasm as you had when you first put on the uniform of holiness and righteousness after you confessed the Lord Jesus.
Hopefully this has heightened your hope or reminded you of your victory! Hopefully, every time that you see a baseball game, this thought will come to your mind. “What we can look forward to, it’s not like baseball.”
Your “locker room talk”, rather, I mean this meditation is over, get out there and win one for Jesus! Be blessed!
“So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” (Romans 8:31-39 1:6 The Message Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King
P.S. I should have asked my friend Ted to help me with the baseball analogies, right? Smile!